Sheep T regs and their associated with resistance and susceptibility to T circumcincta infection

Virginia M Venturina, David Taylor, John Hopkins, Anton Gossner

Research output: Contribution to conferencePoster

Abstract / Description of output

Teladorsagia circumcincta is an economically important abomasal nematode of sheep, which show genetically-linked heterogeneity to infection. Female lambs from parents with variability in resistance to T. circumcincta were trickle infected with ~2000 L3 larvae every 3 days for 12 weeks. A range of parameters were measured throughout the infection period and at post-mortem (13 weeks), which resulted in the identification of 57 lambs with a range of susceptibilities to infection. Faecal egg count was positively correlated with adult worm count, worm fecundity and worm length and inversely correlated with IgA antibody levels and lamb body weight (Baraldi et al. 2008. Int. J. Parasitol. 38; 1567-77).
This project aims to investigate the role of the immune response in T. circumcincta resistance. T cell subsets were quantified by immunohistology including the visualization of Tregs by anti-Foxp3/CD25; and we have cloned and sequenced transcripts for a range of regulatory cytokines associated with Th1, Th2, Th17 and Treg functions; including IFN, TGFβ, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, IL-15, IL-17A, IL-21, IL-23, IL-25, IL-27 and IL-35 (EBI3). qRT-PCR assays were developed for each of these cytokines, and for IL-7R and Foxp3, to quantify expression levels in the abomasal mucosae and gastric LN. Statistical analyses of these data will be presented and correlated with each of the phenotypic parameters to help identify the immunological basis for variation in susceptibility to infection.
Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 11 Sept 2009
Event3rd European Veterinary Immunology Workshop - Berlin, Germany
Duration: 10 Sept 200913 Sept 2009

Conference

Conference3rd European Veterinary Immunology Workshop
Country/TerritoryGermany
CityBerlin
Period10/09/0913/09/09

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